


Down to the River

by Barefootandbookish



Category: Belles, Dearies - Fandom, Once Upon a Time (TV), Rumbelle - Fandom
Genre: AU, Belle - Freeform, F/M, Fluff, Love, Mr. Gold - Freeform, One Shot, Rumplestiltskin - Freeform, Singing, Water, date, river - Freeform, romantic, single mom, sunset, swiming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-08
Updated: 2016-05-08
Packaged: 2018-06-07 05:57:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6788713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Barefootandbookish/pseuds/Barefootandbookish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alistair Gold and his girlfriend Belle are on a picnic date out by the river. Things get a bit fun and romantic when Belle decides she wants to go for a swim.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Down to the River

**Author's Note:**

> This is from the same universe as Unexpected Road to Love, but totally not necessary to read that one first. For anyone who hasn't read URTL, Belle is a single mother in this universe. Quinn is her 6 year old daughter. Alistair and Belle have been dating for around 6 months when this takes place.

 

The river crooked in the most perfect spot right outside of town. Right where the pine trees abandoned the land, and the grass became speckled with golden yellows and splendid whites. The sun shined down, bouncing off of Belle’s  porcelain skin. She looked like a fairy, at home among the forest.

Their bodies laid tangled together, her head resting in the crook of his arm, on the plaid picnic blanket Belle had declared they absolutely, without a doubt had to have. Alistair’s hand rested along her middle, as she mindlessly played with the old golden ring he always wore.  By the position of the sun he guessed it was nearing eight.  He knew they’d have to be leaving soon.

But it was far too beautiful to speak, too perfect of a moment to ruin with words. Instead, Alistair twisted his body towards her, and breathed in scent of her vanilla hair. Intoxicating in all the right ways. Gently, he placed a trail of kisses from the top of her head to the farthest spot his lips could reach, the last one landing just along her jaw line.

A soft sigh drifted from her lips, “Can we stay here forever?”

Alistair laughed, “It would be nice, but I’m afraid if we stay much longer Anna and Quinn will call in a search party.”

Belle pulled herself up and off the blanket, making her way down to the water’s edge where she dipped her toes into the warm midsummer water. Alistair made his way after her, entranced in the way her hair swung across her back as she walked.

As he met her there, he captured her hand into his, tracing a pretend heart onto her knuckles.  The sun had begun its descent, bathing the world in a golden hue, the water sparkled like a hundred little diamonds. It was quite possibly the most beautiful sunset he’d ever had the pleasure of watching, of course Belle made everything more beautiful.

She spun to face him, a giant smile across her face, “Let’s go in.”

Alistair frowned, his brows furrowed, “Into the muddy water, you mean?”  

She bit her bottom lip, and wrapped her arms around his neck, “Please? For me…”

As she held his eyes captive in hers, nature played a song he just couldn’t resist.  Water splashed against his feet, birds sang, and the wind carried it all straight into his soul.  Her breath was hot against his cheek, making his heart work twice as hard. Underneath her hands, his muscles tensed.

Discarded clothes littered the river bank. Their almost bare bodies slipped into the river, nothing left but the few inches of material of their under garments.  

Water washed over their feet, tickling the spaces between Alistair’s toes. Belle took his face gently between her hands, finding his lips with hers. He didn’t dare pull away until he could no longer stand the fire in his lungs.

Despite his long term anger toward all things love, Alistair had always felt his life was missing something. Something that he spent hours of his time searching for, but it was always just out of reach. And then Belle walked in, changing and shaping his life into something else, something good, something real.

 He’d been trying to find the right words to describe that feeling for months, but even now he could only manage the same four words he’d been muttering over and over again to her, any chance he got.

“I love you, Belle,” he said, his voice was rough like the gravel beneath their feet.

Her head turned to the side, her eyes were peaceful, but thoughtful. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

Alistair nodded, pulling her a step farther into the water, “Yes, of course. I’m more than alright.” It was true, he’d never been this happy in all of his years.

Following his lead Belle stepped in deeper, letting the water rise over her knees, “I love you, too.”

As they proceeded to go farther into the water, Alistair tripped over a rock hidden by the muddy water, throwing him slightly off balance.  He gulped and reached out towards Belle, his eyes wide with fear.

 “Don’t worry, I’ve got you,” Belle said. And she did, she held tightly to his hands, her nails stinging his skin as she struggled to keep him upright. It was a strange feeling, being without his cane. Terrifying, but freeing.

Despite being warm, the water chilled his skin. He sucked in a deep breath of river air, and laughed, noticing Belle doing the same. The water reached up to the edge of her belly button, submerging everything below, he could feel her legs brush against his, her hands still held tightly to him.

“Now what?” Alistair asked, his voice a little shaky.

Belle reached upwards, brushing a strand of hair from his face and tucking it behind his ear, she leaned forward and kissed the tip of his chin. The sunrise reflected in her eyes, making the specks of blue-green  shimmer.

“Now we dance,” she whispered into his ear.  Her hands glided up from his hands to the top of his shoulders. 

“But we don’t have any music,” Alistair said. Still, he moved his hands around her waist. Feeling the bare, wet skin of his beloved was more than a little exciting. He closed his eyes, allowing himself to get lost in the softness of her back.

Belle rested her head against his chest, brushing butterfly kisses along the shadow of his clavicle. “Sing for me.”

Alistair’s breath caught in his throat, no one had ever asked him to sing before. He wasn’t even sure he could. “I can’t think of a song.”

“Then make one up.”

Muddy water weaved between their bodies, washing away their past and making them whole again. Alistair’s fingers traced a path up her spine, exploring each section fully and coming back down to rest on the little dimples he loved so much. His heart beat faster than the wings of the sparrow flying overhead.

But he sang anyway, “It’s a long way home, a long way to come. A long way back to the place where we could be,” at first his words came out slurred and soft, but eventually he lost himself in the words of his little melody,” My angel, my beautiful Belle, you’re the one for me.”

The melody continued as he took her closer into her arms, pausing only to place kisses along her jaw and down over the delicate skin of her neck, “I’ll fight for you my love, through rain, through hell, you’re the only one for me.”

“Until they scatter my ashes at sea, you’re the one for me,” he sang softly, letting the words linger over their bare bodies before drifting away with the wind, “My darling, my Belle, please always be the one for me.”

As his words faded away, the sun sank lower, sending one last hurrah of golden yellow sparks streaking across the sky. Alistair gathered her against him, trusting the water to hold them up. His lips were made of butterflies, searching for nectar in all the creases of her body, his fingertips were those of a glass smith, orchestrating his most precious art.

With each piece of clothing removed, his fears dissipated and they became part of the river rushing around them. Each of his movements matched hers perfectly, current for current. With a simple run of her fingers down his back, Alistair knew she wanted to be his. And he answered with a kiss over her chest and breathy whispers of desire.   

By the time they broke apart the sky had turned navy. They inched their way out of the water and back onto land, their bodies wrinkled and exhausted. 

“Now we can leave,” she mumbled as she wrestled her tight jean shorts up her legs.

After redressing himself, Alistair wrapped the picnic blanket around Belle’s shoulders, protecting her from the chill of the evening wind. “I think that’s a marvelous idea.”

As they shuffled through the tall grass back to the path leading to the road,  crickets chirped around them, a round of an applause he thought. A giggle escaped him before he could stop it.

“What’s so funny?” Belle asked

“Nothing, now come on let’s get going. Quinn is going to kill me for keeping her mom out so late.”


End file.
